Name: 【TED】Billie Jean King: This tennis icon paved the way for women in sports (This tennis icon paved the way for women in sports | Billie Jean King)
Uploaded: 2015-11-15T22:00:00.000Z
Duration: 16 min 6 s
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You know, when I was watching the video again of the match,

you must have felt like the fate of the world's women

BJK: First of all, Bobby Riggs -- he was the former number one player,

He was one of my heroes and I admired him.

And that's the reason I beat him, actually, because I respected him.

It's true -- my mom and especially my dad always said:

"Respect your opponent, and never underestimate them, ever."

And he was correct. He was absolutely correct.

And I was really nervous whenever we announced it,

and I felt like the whole world was on my shoulders.

And I thought, "If I lose, it's going to put women back 50 years, at least."

Title IX had just been passed the year before -- June 23, 1972.

there were nine of us who signed a one-dollar contract in 1970 --

So we were only in our third year of having a tour

where we could actually play, have a place to compete and make a living.

So there were nine of us that signed that one-dollar contract.

And our dream was for any girl, born any place in the world --

there would be a place for her to compete and for us to make a living.

Because before 1968, we made 14 dollars a day,

and we were under the control of organizations.

So we really wanted to break away from that.

But we knew it wasn't really about our generation so much;

we knew it was about the future generations.

We do stand on the shoulders of the people that came before us, there is no question.

But every generation has the chance to make it better.

I really wanted to start matching the hearts and minds to Title IX.

Title IX, in case anybody doesn't know, which a lot of people probably don't,

said that any federal funds given to a high school, college or university,

had to -- finally -- give equal monies to boys and girls.

but it's changing the hearts and minds to match up with it.

I wanted to start that change in the hearts and minds.

They actually had enough nerve to ask for a raise.

Some women have waited 10, 15 years to ask.

I said, "More importantly, did you get it?"

but if you're in your 50s, 60s or whatever, late 40s,

you're the first generation of men of the Women's Movement --

what happened for the men, they'd come up to me --

and most times, the men are the ones who have tears in their eyes,

They go, "Billie, I was very young when I saw that match,

And I am so happy I saw that as a young man."

And one of those young men, at 12 years old, was President Obama.

And he actually told me that when I met him, he said:

"You don't realize it, but I saw that match at 12.

and it has made a difference in how I raise them."

So both men and women got a lot out of it, but different things.

PM: And now there are generations -- at least one or two --

that Title IX and other fights along the way made possible.

And for women, there are generations who have also experienced teamwork.

They got to play team sports in a way they hadn't before.

So you had a legacy already built in terms of being an athlete,

a legacy of the work you did to lobby for equal pay for women athletes

with The Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative?

BJK: I think it goes back to an epiphany I had at 12.

At 11, I wanted to be the number one tennis player in the world,

and a friend had asked me to play and I said, "What's that?"

Tennis was not in my family -- basketball was, other sports.

and I'm finally starting to play in tournaments

where you get a ranking at the end of the year.

So I was daydreaming at the Los Angeles Tennis Club,

and I started thinking about my sport and how tiny it was,

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【TED】Billie Jean King: This tennis icon paved the way for women in sports (This tennis icon paved the way for women in sports | Billie Jean King)

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